Kazakhstan: Almaty gay club, ad agency under pressure over kissing poets
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 26 August 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kazakhstan: Almaty gay club, ad agency under pressure over kissing poets, 26 August 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/542ac69619.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 26, 2014
By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service
A Facebook post by the Havas Worldwide advertising agency shows an ad for a gay club in Almaty that has caused uproar in Kazakhstan.
An online advertising banner for a gay club in Kazakhstan's commercial capital, Almaty, has sparked a lawsuit and protests on social media.
The ad for the Studio 69 club depicts a treasured 19th-century Kazakh composer and folk singer, Qurmanghazy Saghyrbaiuly, kissing Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin.
The club is located in the intersection of Qurmanghazy and Pushkin streets in Almaty.
The ad has drawn criticism from antigay commentators on social media, and about 20 activists filed a lawsuit on August 25 against the advertising agency that created it, saying it "insulted both Kazakhs and Russians."
The agency, Havas Worldwide Kazakhstan, issued an apology on its website on August 25.
It said the banner will not be used in public.
Homosexual relations were decriminalized in Kazakhstan in the 1990s, but intolerance towards gays is strong.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
